Summary Of In The Time Of The Butterflies By Julia Alvarez

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Religion In Politics: The Fall of Trujillo Julia Alvarez illustrates the Mirabals’ struggles and hardship in the time of Trujillo’s reign in the historical fiction novel, In the Time of the Butterflies. The literary work depicts the lives of the four Mirabal sisters, each chapter told in one of the sisters’ perspective. The timeline of the novel spans from childhood all the way to the tragic deaths of three out of the four Mirabal sisters due to their role in the underground movement against Trujillo’s dictatorship. Julia Alvarez projects the importance of the relationship between religion and politics through the Mirabals’ lives during Trujillo’s reign over the Dominican Republic in the novel and how the central idea is a key component to …show more content…
In chapter 10, Patria’s chapter, Alvarez uses repetition of a proverb to let the reader better comprehend the meaning behind Patria’s thoughts and actions. The text states “And on the third day He rose again,” (Pg 201). The use of the proverb provides the reader with a clear understanding of the author’s tone, a distressing and depressing attitude toward the beginning of the chapter. The proverb appears many times in page 201, each with context to provide the reader with knowledge of the author's tone. At the top of the page, it states “...I got another crucifixion. The SIM came for Mate,” (Pg 201). The author conveys the fact that Patria, instead of coming back from being dead on the inside, gets punished since the SIM took Mate away. Later on, Patria Mercedes loses her mind and starts to scream at the Lord, wanting to know why she hasn’t been “resurrected” or brought back to life. The reader can imply that the author has a discouraging attitude toward Patria. From the context and the use of repetition of the proverb, one can infer that the mood intended can be hopeful. Patria compares herself to Jesus Christ with the use of a metaphor. She feels dead inside due to the separation of her son Nelson. With enough faith and hope, she may be resurrected and reunited with her son, giving the reader a hopeful and optimistic mood about the upcoming …show more content…
The theme gives the reader insight and lets the reader comprehend the despairing feeling of the Dominican people under Rafael Trujillo’s dictatorship and how the underground movement and the church provided the people with a small slither of hope and freedom under the oppressive rule. The church, after many years of supporting Trujillo, finally takes a stance for the people and denounces the regime. “ All human beings are born with rights derived from God that no earthly power can take away… To deny these rights is a grave offense against God, against the dignity of man,” (Pg 206). The quote on page 206 provides the people with so lots of hope for freedom after being afraid of Trujillo for so many years. Many people would keep coming back, mass after mass. This lets the reader know that the people of the Dominican Republic are in a dire situation and are relieved to have someone finally stand up against the government, someone they look up to and devote their loyalty to. This incident allows the reader to grasp the ideas and actions behind the Mirabal sisters and why they choose to fight against Trujillo so publicly. They want to be models for the rest of the people and are not afraid to die for their cause. The key element in the novel open up the possibility of an open mind to the
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Summary Of In The Time Of The Butterflies By Julia Alvarez

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